Lessons
by Talhiri
Summary: Kirkwall was saved by her Champion, who has now fled to the open seas with her pirate lover. But being out on the sea is much different than living near it and with each passing experience, small and big lessons are learned, some new and some old. There's enough time to heal all the hurts and relax now, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Isabela… maybe I should sleep in the hold for a while..." Hawke sat on the edge of the bed pulling off her Champion's armor slowly tossing it on the floor carelessly.

"Sweet thing," Isabela began, frowning at Hawke in concern, _Hawke usually took very good care of her armor._ "Even if I _did_ let you sleep down there, you wouldn't because the men would be all over you." She threw her arms up in a dramatic gesture, "it'd cause a mutiny." Her eyes light up momentarily, "but if you're reconsidering on threesomes…"

"No!" Hawke's eyes widened and she blushed shaking her head vehemently. "I will not reconsider that!" she turned around reaching out to touch Isabela's shoulder but pulled back with a curse as her hand started to shake.

Isabela's eyes rose as she took in Marian's shaking hand, catching the mage's hands in her own tightly as Marian tried to them pull away. "I just want you to get a good night's sleep, more than just once night…" Marian said quietly as Isabela took a deep breath, in one fluid moment she straddling Marian's lap. Marian winced slightly, waiting for the sharp barb or slap to the face that was sure to come; she closed her eyes trying to hide from Isabela's stare. She was definitely _not _in the mood for anything.

"Mrmph!" Hawke gasped in surprised as her was mouth pressed against Isabela's for a minute. Melting into the caress, she moaned as hands grabbed her by the vest she was wearing. Heavy breathing tickled her ear as Isabela pushed her onto the bed slowly.

"You're barely able to stay awake, you goose and you're worrying about me?" she hissed as she trailed a kiss down Hawke's neck electing a long moan.

"Yes..." Hawke breathed throatily as Isabela sighed and looked down at her lover with a disapproving look on her face. "I told you Hawke that I was going to change for you. That I'd just need some time… An irritated noise in the back of her throat made Hawke focus sleepily on her.

Hawke shifted as she rested her hands on Isabela's thighs and leaned forward a little, her head dropping onto the pirate's breasts, but made no other move. _The poor woman was exhausted, barely awake, and yet here they were…_ Isabela almost chuckled at the irony, but she was still seething inwardly for Marian's stubborn stupidity.

A soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "But I nev-…"

Looking down into bloodshot eyes, Isabela sighed, her heart torn at the sight of the haggard face. "What good is change if you won't let me help you?" Isabela asked softly as she cupped Hawke's face in her hands.

"I'm the one who's supposed too be strong." Hawke replied quietly as she pulled Isabela onto the bed and snuggled into the pirate. "The Champion protects …everyone, Hawke…Hawke always saves the day…" Hawke muttered barely coherent as she yawned again, her eyes closing despite trying to stay awake.

"Shush you; being strong doesn't mean you can't sleep," Isabela stroked Hawke's hair gently, "go to sleep, Marian. I'll be here when you wake up."

"You never call me Marian and you don't like staying…" Hawke murmured as she was pulled closer into Isabela's embrace. "You're an exception, Hawke, but just this once. You can pay me back with mind-blowing sex later." Isabela chuckled as she stroked black hair softly though the laughter never reached her worried eyes; Marian's eyes were already closed blissfully asleep.

_Maybe the nightmares won't come tonight... _Isabela looked down at her lover, watching her breathe with a longing look. Leaning back into the mountain of pillows Hawke had insisted upon stuffing on the bed, Isabela cursed silently as she held the sleeping mage closer, tightening her grip around her.

* * *

_Several hours later..._

"Hawke, wake up!" Isabela was nearly thrown off the bed again as Hawke twisted and screamed, hands clawing at the air. Incoherent words tumbled from the mage's mouth as she struggled against Isabela's grasp.

_Marian struggled against claws that held her back trying to reach Isabela as the monster drew a claw down her belly, the blood gushing out as it called evilly. The screams tore her soul apart as Marian struggled but she couldn't free herself as the world around her rocked. She closed her eyes and when she opened them blue ethereal light shone from them, leaking like a light mist as she began to chant to herself gathering her magic within her._

A crackle of air was the only telltale of magic before a bolt of light briefly flared illuminating the dark cabin. "No magic, Marian," Isabela grunted as an elbow slammed into her stomach. Groaning Isabela managed to wrap herself around Hawke and rolled them off the bed as Hawke's eyes began to glow. A thud echoed as they hit the deck, and slammed into the wall as Hawke released her spell.

Marian went limp in her arms as Isabela tried to sucked air into winded lungs. "Marian?" Isabela called her name softly as Marian pulled herself up slowly looking around her with a blank look on her haggard face.

Turning around to look at Isabela's face, Marian Hawke could feel the guilt rising in her as she tasted blood in her mouth and her jaw ached horribly. But she stared at Isabela's black eye, the bruises on her arms, and small scrapes trailing over the pirate's body; the tears began to well in her eyes.

"Shush..." pulling the trembling mage against her, Isabela hugged her tightly stroking the short jet black hair. "No harm done, love. It was just a dream..." The short gasps sobs continued on for what seemed an endless time, Isabela only rocked the crying woman in her arms as she tried to calm Marian down. Finally when the sobs stopped and her body was limp did Isabela relax. There was a moment of silence, and then a flurry of curses as Isabela groaned tiredly. "Maker's tits, Hawke! I'm not quite made out for this." Still she held the mage tightly in her arms as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Expect random eractic updates, timeline variables will be possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

Lying in bed, she woke with a pounding in her heart and a scream clawing its way out from her throat. Bolting upright, she clenched the blankets with her fists, heart beating like thunder in her ears, glancing around the room quickly reassured her that the wardings had held and Isabela still slept peacefully at her side. Marian dropped her face into her hands as the tears she'd been holding back flood down her face.

She groaned running a hand through her short black hair and smiled tiredly, gathering her champion's armor and the staff of Parthalan. _The wards held, thank the Maker my luck seems to be holding. _Dressing quickly she glanced again at the sleeping pirate and sighed. _Why do you have to be so damned beautiful Isabela? _Hawke mused to herself, shaking her head. Kissing her lover would undo all the efforts of placing said wardings Hawke had studied and more importantly wake her.

Slipping out the door Hawke closed it silently and let go of the wardings hardly breathing, waiting for the telltale signs of Isabela waking. After several minutes of silence Hawke grinned, stiffening as a cold nose nudged her hand. Looking down into Lurk's eyes she stifled a groan and placed a finger on her lips. Lurk wagged his tail as he followed her to the railing and cocked his head curiously at her.

"Shh Lurk, I don't want to wake Isabela, or the crew." Hawke bent down on one knee as she rubbed her dog's ears. She smiled at him and then glanced at the shore, "think I can get to the shore and back before anyone notices?" she asked and Lurk wagged his tail happily at her. "That's easy for you to say," Hawke replied absently as she looked over the edge and the shore not so far away yet not so close either. "Watch Isabela for me Lurk, guard her and Maker forbid don't wake her. I'm going to practice some magic for a while." she told the dog firmly as he whinnied at her, pulling her arm gently in his mouth.

"Oi who's there?" one of the crew was out on the deck by the wheel. "Balls..."Hawke cursed under her breathe as she ducked and tensed as Lurk looked at her and the crewmate heading towards them. He barked happily running to the crew mate tongue lolling from his mouth as he pounced onto the man driving him to the deck with a healthy thud.

"Gerroff me, ya blasted mutt!"

Hawke smiled as the sailor yelled and cursed some more, though she winced at the sound of the thud, and several feet pounding up the stairs. Sighing she slid her staff into its place on her back and lowered herself over the railing, hanging perilously onto the ship as she climbed lower onto what she could only describe as a raised platform though she was sure Isabela would have thrown a dagger at her for that assumption. Hawke readied her magic and slid into the water, using her magic to propel her through the water faster.

Hawke planted her staff as deeply as the pointed blade would go, briefly glancing around the deserted beach. Closing her eyes, she began to gather her magic as she gripped the staff and paused. "And for once when I actually need a Saarebas, or one those frenzied blood mages, they're not here." Hawke's laugh was slightly bitter though she had to smile at irony of her request.

She grinned for a minute and shrugged her shoulders as she gripped the staff again and _pulled _with her magic, pushing her body and staff away from the spot she had marked with an X.

An explosive noise echoed in ringing ears as dirt and pebbles erupted around her in a rushing roar. "Achoo!" Hawke opened her eyes cautiously she looked at the furrowed carter in the ground for a minute before realizing she'd only _pulled _herself back a couple of steps."Damnit!" Hawke swore in frustration. "How do they do it?!" she kicked an offending stone angrily and glared at it, thinking hard; she stood there for a moment blinking as the sand swirled about her.

"Maker's hairy balls... I am not made for the sea." Hawke sighed sitting down heavily as she glared out at the offending water in front of her. She stared out at Isabela's ship as she thought in silence about the past few days.

* * *

_"I am not going to sea-food, it's disgusting!" Marian glared over at her pirate queen who was staring at her incredulously. _

"_Hawke," Isabela began slowly as she stared at her lover, "we don't have anything else to eat."_

"_I'll eat those biscuits we stashed in the hold from the last raid." Hawke replied as she shrugged, "I hate fish. It stinks and tastes…awful." She wrinkled her nose as she stared at fish on the plate in front of her. _

"_You ate the last one last night while we were drinking," Isabela scoffed as the woman paled and stared at her in horror. _

"_Shit…" Hawke muttered as she looked at the fish on the plate in disgust. "You know Fenris was right," she leaned back tilting her head at the pirate sitting across her. "It stinks and tastes awful."_

"_It's just fish," Isabela replied as she crossed over to Hawke's chair and straddled her lover as she picked up the fish, holding it before the grimacing woman. "Don't tell me the Champion of Kirkwall is afraid of a little fish?"_

"_I'm never going to eat it." Hawke breathed thinly as she leaned back in the chair, her hands sliding up Isabela's legs, in an attempt to distract her._

_"We're a week away from port," Isabela scolded her gently, though the tick in her eyes gave way to the frustration she left unsaid._

_"Then I'll use magic and survive till then." Marian grinned lunging forward pulling Isabela into a fierce kiss._

_"Hawke, that's not-" Isabela barely managed to interject before desire overrode reason as Marian began to trail kisses down her neck; Isabela gasped as she began to trail lower, moaning softly as her hands began to tease her._

* * *

Hawke rubbed her head as she stood tiredly and started to head back to the ship, it was going to be a long day she decided when she'd finally reached her destination. She swayed again for a minute before sighing and glanced around the beach.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she used her magic to draw the life source from the two crabs still fighting over their piece of food, whatever it was. A sudden rush of colors and light filled her vision as she trembled briefly as she was suddenly brimming strength and energy again. Turning her back on the beach she gathered up her power once again as she prepared to cast herself out towards the sea, to Isabela.


End file.
